‘Dictator’ Lambert gets his way again

Norwich City 0 Aston Villa 1

“One’s a dictatorship, the other a democracy,” he explained. Political scientists take note: as far as this particular fixture goes, it’s currently Democrats 0 Dictators 3.

Lambert, of course, is the latter. The Scot wants things done his way or not at all and, as Stephen Ireland and others quickly found on his arrival as Aston Villa boss, there is a special part of the training ground where dissenters can spend time for extra debate; not quite on the Staffordshire border but well beyond the U9s’ pitches...

Hughton is a different animal; less animated and more cautious. His reaction to supporters greeting a substitution decision with cries of ‘you don’t know what you’re doing’ was to explain his reasoning patiently and thoroughly. Contrast that with Fulham’s Martin Jol last week, ruing the fact he wasn’t allowed to meet his detractors behind the stands for a punch up.

Hughton arrived in Norfolk a little over a year ago as the by-product of Lambert’s monumental falling out with the Norwich hierarchy over his desire to leave for Villa. Since then the Scot has been back three times and won all three.

Villa had Libor Kozak, the substitute, to thank for this version’s only goal, netted some 100 seconds after replacing the injured Christian Benteke in the first half, and goalkeeper Brad Guzan, who saved an early Robert Snodgrass penalty, for a first Premier League clean sheet since December 2012.

It all makes Hughton’s job that bit tougher. His main crime in the eyes of fans, it appears, is spending a heap of cash on forwards but still arranging a team that doesn’t seem to know where the net is.

The home support howled when Nathan Redmond, the teenage winger, was replaced just after the hour mark by a Republic of Ireland international six years his senior in Anthony Pilkington, an entirely logical decision given the youngster had drifted in an out of the game.

Lambert was always going to be a hard act to follow and Hughton knows that, if results do not improve, someone else might soon get the chance to have a go.

NORWICH CITY (4-4-1-1): Ruddy 7; Martin 7, Bassong 6 (R Bennett 38, 7), Turner 7, Garrido 7; Snodgrass 6, Howson 6, Fer 7, Redmond 5 (Pilkington 63, 5); Elmander 5 (Hooper 63, 6); van Wolfswinkel 5.

ASTON VILLA (4-3-3): Guzan 9; Bacuna 7, Clark 7, Vlaar 7, Luna 7; Tonev 5 (Sylla 77), El Ahmadi 7, Delph 7; Agbonlahor 7 (Helenius 60, 5), Benteke 6 (Kozak 28, 7), Weimann 7.

Referee: Chris Foy.